Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Analyst says Muluzi should be pinned down

By Lucy Liponda

A leading political scientist from the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College has joined a chorus of people that are calling for the immediate prosecution of former president Bakili Muluzi.

The scientist whose name we have withheld deliberately fearing reprisals from former president Muluzi has said that the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) national chairperson has no valid reasons for him to be spared from any prosecutions.

The analyst’s remarks come in the awake of reports that Muluzi is funding human rights activist Emmie Chanika to lobby for the withdraw of Muluzi’s court case.

Muluzi, who sells himself as a 'political engineer'.

Muluzi is being accused of stealing about MK1.7 billion of donor funds meant for the Malawi Government.

This money was traced to have been deposited in Muluzi’s personal accounts at Limbe and Zomba National Bank branches among other accounts.

The money was from the Republic of Taiwan, Libya, Morocco, Rwanda and other government departments among many other sources from where Muluzi diverted the public money.

Speaking in an interview with Malawi Digest on Wednesday afternoon, the analyst said that the approach taken by Muluzi to draw sympathy through Chanika will not help matters at all.

“If he was wise enough, I was expecting Muluzi to beef up his defence team and move the court to have the case expedited other than playing delaying tactics,” he said.

The analyst said that what Muluzi was doing was being an architect of self destruction.

“If these cases are withdrawn, people will say that whilst Muluzi stole the government funds, he was saved from prosecution through amnesty and these allegations of stealing will still haunt him for ever,” he said.

The reputable analyst had a warning for human rights activists who get used by politicians like Emmie Chanika of the Civil Liberties Committee.

“Why should prominent activities like Chanika sell their reputation in exchange of three pieces of silver from Muluzi? They have a duty to protect and preserve the interests of ordinary Malawians,” he said.

Over the weekend, Chanika suggested that theft and corruption cases being pursued against former president Muluzi should be dropped saying they were a waste of tax payers’ money.

Chanika argued that although Muluzi stole the said money, people should blame it on the civil society, ministers and the Malawian public at large for not advising Muluzi well when he was stealing the money.

However, Chanika’s suggestions were quashed by Director of Public Prosecutions, Wezi Kayira and Noel Mbowela, political analyst from the Mzuzu University.

They both argued it was absurd to start describing Muluzi’s case as a waste of government resources when the case has not yet resumed in court.

Following his arrest about two years ago, Muluzi has been playing delaying tactics by raising preliminary objections in the case.

During his time in power, Muluzi used to boost that he was the richest man in Malawi although there were millions of Malawians walking on empty stomachs, without clothes and bear foot-Malawi Digest.

5 comments:

  1. akuluwa anaba ndiye lamulo ligwre ntchito basi.That ws killing Malawians and he was stubborn when told that people were dying,pepani bwana but let the law judge you.

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  2. Nobody is above the Law. It the law take its course on Muluzi.

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  3. Chanika should be the last person to be protecting thieves if she wants people to take her seriouly in her job as human rights campaigner.

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  4. That's the problem of having people who are nurses into human rights campaign. Nanga zimene ananena Chanika ine ndikumvapo kanthu?

    Sad for our democray that our activists can start protecting pick-pockets and big thieves.

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  5. Once a thief always a thief, Muluzi will have to learn a lesson and stop thieving for once. He stole money when he was Court Clerk at Nsinja in Lilongwe, then stole money in MCP days when he was SG and now he has done the same to Malawians when he was the State President. Let him face the music. He has reached his destination.

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